Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned
by Acelinn
Summary: James learned very early on not to underestimate Lily Evans. However, what can you do when she looks so attractive when she's mad?


_Another oneshot. I hope you enjoy! I've had this idea for years. Finally, I got around to doing something about it._

_Parts of it were inspired by Jane Eyre, one of my favourite novels and you will notice some of my favourite passage making a cameo appearance later in the oneshot.  
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_Disclaimer: Not mine._

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_Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned_

"You bastard, Potter!"

The distinct voice and phrase reverberated around the Entrance Hall. From all around them, other students rolled their eyes and moved further away from the fiasco that was the highly explosive and combative relationship between Lily Evans and James Potter.

"You stupid insolent egotistical _moron_!"

Nearby, the Hufflepuffs ducked around the entrance to the Great Hall, trying to move themselves as far out of the line of fire as possible. It was likely to get messy and possibly violent, as their _disagreements_ were liable to do.

The Ravenclaws noticed the quarrel, staring down their noses at the humiliating display of unnecessary and unwarranted outward emotion to the extent of shamelessly making a spectacle of themselves for pure reputation and publicity's sake.

The Slytherins completely ignored the fighting Gryffindors, their eyes not acknowledging the display, nor their body language being any different than usual. They continued, absorbed in their own conversation, into the Great Hall, sparing no thoughts to anyone but themselves.

The Gryffindors, however, were highly amused by the antics of their own. A group of seventh years lounged by the doors, placing bets and watching the show with glee, highly entertained by the mixture of sexual tension, mutual attraction and utter loathing.

Lily Evans was standing poised for a fight. Her shoulders were tense and her muscles were rigid. Her long fingers were clenched into fists at her sides as she stood ramrod straight, unmoving. Her green eyes flashed with anger as she glared relentlessly at the figure standing directly opposite her.

James Potter was a self-proclaimed ladies man, charming and attractive with his ruffled, unruly black hair and sparkling hazel eyes framed by wiry round glasses. He stood casually, slouched against the stone wall near the doors to the Great Hall, his arms folded over his chest as he took in the raging beauty before him.

The spectator's bit back smirks as a glazed expression clouded his gaze and his hazel eyes ran shamelessly over the redhead, taking in her long legs, her flushed expression and her heaving chest.

Lily's eyes narrowed as his inattention registered. She followed his gaze.

"POTTER!"

James's eyes snapped back to hers, taking in her murderous expression. He dropped his eyes in unabashed guilt and ruffled his hair arrogantly as his eyes met her angry gaze once more.

"So help me, Potter, if you cross me today, I won't think twice about disembowelling you and feeding your innards to the Giant Squid," Lily threatened, her hair whipping wildly as she shook with fury.

She turned abruptly and stomped towards the stairs that would lead to the Gryffindor common room.

"Hey, Lily?"

Lily groaned and ignored him, continuing up the staircase, muttering quietly and causing a few young Hufflepuffs to leap out of her way in fright.

"Lily? Lily!"

Lily whipped around and turned to face James, her customary glare heightened tenfold. "What is it, Potter?"

"Will you go out with me?"

A jet of bright blue light erupted from the tip of her wand as she stabbed it in James's direction, hissing a string of words, just low enough to not be heard by the masses congregating in the Entrance Hall.

James's eyes opened comically wide in genuine shock as he leapt to the side in order to avoid potential bruising, burning, slashing or other forms of harmful and excruciatingly painful lacerations. He looked up once more to see her fiery glare, just before she swung around and stormed off in her original direction. James had never been able to resist the pure attraction of Lily Evans bristling with fury. Despite his blatant efforts to irritate her as much as was safe, he had learnt not to under estimate Lily Evans.

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"_POTTER! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? YOU _MORON_!"_

_How could he forget that day? _

_James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had just passed through the doors to the Great Hall, having eaten their breakfast, and were heading towards Charms. _

_However, they were cut off ten metres from the staircase by Lily Evans, and judging by the way she glared, her emerald eyes shooting flames, she wasn't happy. _

_Clearly, she'd looked in the mirror this morning. _

_James Potter grinned, winking at Sirius in glee. _

"_WHAT ON EARTH POSSESSED YOU TO DYE MY HAIR FREAKING LIME GREEN?!"_

_James grinned. "But you look so sweet, Evans."_

_Lily growled, audibly. James took a step back. Her fury was radiating from her very pores in waves of energy. Her ire crackled from her flashing green eyes. Even Sirius, notorious for being quintessentially blockheaded when it came to girls, took a step back and looked moderately surprised at the new level that Lily Evans took anger to. _

"_Potter, you dyed my hair! GREEN!"_

_James nodded, looking proud. _

"_CHANGE IT BACK!"_

_James's smile widened. He shook his head, smirking. "Can't do that Lils. I think you look cute."_

"_Cute? CUTE? I'll show you cute," Lily snarled, her eyes shooting daggers. _

_Unwarranted, a thought flitted through James's mind. _If looks could kill...

_He banished the thought as quickly as he had recognised it. He was drawn back to the fiery beauty standing before him. Her small movement caught his eye. From behind his right shoulder, James heard Sirius's sharp intake of breath and involuntary step backwards._

_Lowering his gaze, James caught sight of the wand a second too late, just as she raised her arm to shoulder height and brandished it in his direction, hissing a the spell for a full body bind. _

_Eyes widening, James felt the heat as the spell collided directly with his chest and the tell-tale freeze that spread through his body, locking his limbs in place as he pitched backwards, involuntarily falling backwards on to the hard, cold stone floor. His unmoving eyes stood transfixed upon the ceiling. _

_He saw Sirius's face looming above his, grinning cheekily as he spoke, his grey eyes laughing. James couldn't decipher his words. His attention had been caught by a figure that had encroached his peripheral vision; Lily Evans, the vision of lime green. _

_He had to admit, he did prefer the red. _

_His attention was drawn back to Lily as she stood over him. A hint of a smile lurked in the depths of her deep emerald eyes. The corners of her mouth twitched as she bit back her mirth. _

_Her mouth was making out words. Drawing his attention away from how perfect her smile was and how her eyes lit up like beacons when she was happy, James managed to make out the words, 'Maybe now you'll listen, Potter.'_

_If he could wink, he would have._

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Drawn back to the present, James forced his attention back to Lily, opening his mouth to catch her attention. Instead of raising his voice, he changed his mind, instead closing his mind.

He stared at her broodingly as she stomped up the stairs, her red hair whipping around her head and neck with her violent and disjointed motions.

As she rounded the bend in the staircase, leaping over the trick step and dodging Peeves, snarling at him in her ire, she glanced back at where James stood alone, staring after her pensively.

What she deciphered from his gaze was enough for her to freeze momentarily, her angry footsteps halting as her eyes widened almost imperceptibly. But James noticed. He did not tear his eyes away, nor did he smirk roguishly and skim his eyes arrogantly over her clear skin and red hair, before moving downwards in typical hormonal teenage male fashion. He continued to gaze solemnly into her eyes. She stared back, daring him to continue their fight and allow her to curse him once more.

As the seconds passed as his gaze showed no signs of relenting, her glare began to falter. She blinked self-consciously, her shoulders tensing as she found herself unable to tear her eyes away from his intense hazel gaze.

Forcing her feet to move, one in front of the other, she continued up the staircase, holding his eyes until the very last moment.

As she disappeared from his view, Sirius Black's words floated clearly up to her ears.

"Mate, what the hell? You had a _moment_."

Lily shivered. She froze in place, thoughts whirling through her mind.

She just felt sorry for almost cursing him to hell and back. She couldn't have felt that flash of heat suffuse her face and the feel of her stomach dropping as he continued to look at her with that indecipherable stare in his expressive eyes.

She ran up the stairs, a flush coming over her features.

Downstairs, James ran a hand over his face, vaguely registering Sirius's incredulous words as he tried to get his rapidly pounding heart under control and school his features into a respectable expression to hide the shock so obviously displayed in his eyes.

He felt a presence at his left shoulder. Turning, he came face to face with Remus's eyes, looking at him impassively. James shrugged, lowering his gaze.

"What the hell happened, Moony?" he whispered.

Remus nodded, smiling at him. "I think you finally realised that you like her."

James looked confused. "I've always –"

Remus shook his head. "No. You've always wanted her so that you can say you have her, but now you've realised that you genuinely want her company."

"All that time you spent moping and pining after her actually developed into you legitimately _pining_," Sirius added, clapping his friend's shoulder. "Welcome to the world of men."

James snorted, drawn out of his melancholy stupor. "Like you'd know, you man-whore."

Sirius feigned offence, holding his hands out in surrender and grinning.

James's expression turned serious once more as he contemplated one Lily Evans, his next course of action and how they would be intertwined.

He turned to the Great Hall. His friends didn't follow. James turned back and looked at them questioningly. They stared back with raised eyebrows and pointed expressions. Remus stared meaningfully at the staircase.

James sighed. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards the stairs and began to climb them.

A roar erupted from the crowd of Gryffindors loitering in the Entrance Hall. They broke into cheers, their faces adorned with wide smiles and winks as money exchanged hands and others groaned good-naturedly, rummaging in their pockets for spare change.

From several braver mates, Sirius included, he heard whisperings of new bets and muffled laughter.

As James reached the top of the staircase, lost in thought, his movements were suddenly halted as his left foot sank to mid-calf length in the trick step.

He struggled with his predicament for a moment before turning to Sirius and pleading wordlessly. Sirius stared for a moment until he broke into raucous and uproarious laughter that reverberated around the Hall, catching the attention of everyone else, who proceeded to explode into mirth before his eyes.

Sirius made his way up the stairs, still chuckling to himself. He hoisted James out of the trap and patted him on the back, murmuring quietly, "I think it's a sign, mate," before walking downstairs, laughing again.

As he stood by Remus's side in the Entrance Hall Remus turned to him and grinned.

"You know what they say, Padfoot."

Sirius looked at him inquiringly.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

* * *

As James entered the common room he looked around, catching sight of a head of red hair poking over the top of a chair as its owner perused a novel.

Lily had been sitting calmly reading her favourite novel, a novel which had, in the past, never failed to lift her spirits. Her gaze flicked over the words she knew and loved so well of the Charlotte Brontё classic, _Jane Eyre_.

"_You never felt jealousy, did you, Miss Eyre? Of course not: I need not ask you; because you never felt love." (1)_

Lily closed her eyes briefly, before continuing to read.

Footsteps sounded in her ears. She did not look up from the page.

"_You have both sentiments yet to experience: your soul sleeps; the shock it yet to be given which shall waken it." (1)_

"Emmy, if that's you, I don't want to talk about it. If it's Remus, leave me alone, I'll see at patrol. If it's Alice, go find Frank, he's probably suffering withdrawal from your absence. If it's Frank, go find Alice for the same reason. If it's Frank and Alice, both of you piss off and if I catch you kissing I'll hurl this book at you. If it's, God forbid, Sirius, no, I do not have PMS. If it's Potter –" Her voice hitched.

"_You think all existence lapses in as quiet a flow as that in which your youth has hitherto slid away. Floating on with closed eyes and muffled ears, you neither see the rocks bristling not far off in the bed of the flood, nor hear the breakers boil at their base. But I tell you—and you may mark my words—you will come some day to a craggy pass in the channel, where the whole of life's stream will be broken up into whirl and tumult, foam and noise." (1)_

Lily stared into the fire, listening to the breathing of the figure standing behind her. She resisted the temptation to glance up and confirm his or her identity.

"Lily."

Lily closed her eyes, feeling her stomach swoop at how his low voice pronounced the syllables of her name. She placed the book on her knee, still open to her page.

"James, what are you doing?"

James swallowed, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

"Lily, I –" He glanced around him, wiping his palms on his trousers.

Lily nodded at him. "I know," she whispered. "It was weird."

James looked relieved that she'd approached the subject for him. He honestly had no idea of how to express himself without sounding like an overemotional, overanalysing idiot. His relief was palpable and some of the tension dissipated as his stance relaxed minutely.

Lily bit back a smile at his typical male response. She decided to give him an olive branch. "Don't worry about it, Potter. I get it. Childish crushes do that to you."

James grinned. "And can you think of a better subject?"

Lily smirked. "Not I. But then, I could be biased."

James looked at her shyly and ruffled his hair. Lily glared at it before she caught herself and met his eyes.

"Lily, will you come to Hogsmeade with me?" he asked, a hint of the old self-centred James Potter shining through as he searched desperately for a facade to hide his nerves and vulnerability behind.

Lily's eyes narrowed and a small flash of regret passed through them, so quick that James thought he'd imagined it.

"No."

James's smile dropped. "But, why? I mean, before, on the stairs –"

Lily turned away. "It was nothing, Potter. Don't read into things you don't understand. I won't go."

"Lily, why?"

"Potter, just leave already!"

"Tell me why."

Lily turned to him, a hint of fire lurking behind her deceptively calm composure.

"Potter, if you don't leave right now, I swear I'll –"

James held up his hands in surrender. "Lily, I just want to know why. Tell me, and I'll leave you alone. Why don't you want to go with me?"

Lily sighed. "Because you're arrogant, up yourself, self-centred and don't really care about me." Her words were harsh and she knew it. She saw the hurt pass through his eyes. She justified herself. "James, twenty minutes ago we were about ready to kill each other. You were blatantly checking me out and now you expect me to fall into your arms and proclaim my undying love?"

James shook his head. He looked as though he was about to speak. After a moment of studying her expression, he dropped his gaze and turned to the staircase leading to the boys dormitories.

Lily picked up her book, fighting down the remorse and the urge to call out to him and ask him to never leave again.

"_Either you will be dashed to atoms on crag points..." (1)_

Lily groaned audibly, reading the words that so summed up her broken spirit.

James heard her small unhappy sound and halted, his ears listening carefully.

"I can't do it, James, I just can't," Lily whispered. "I have to say no."

_WHY? _James screamed internally. _For God's sake, tell me why!_

As if in response to his unspoken plea, Lily continued, "I can't, James, because I so badly want to say yes."

James froze, staring unseeing at the wall in front of him. His eyes widened in shock. He felt the blood freeze within his veins as his heart pounded within his chest.

He turned around slowly and walked quietly back into the common room, his eyes taking in Lily as she sat staring at a page, her eyes unfocussed and her attention distracted. As he approached, he heard a muffled curse from Lily as she snapped the book closed.

As he came to stand in front of her, she lifted her eyes to meet his and hazel met green.

"Lily," he said quietly.

Lily met his gaze defiantly. "Don't say it, Potter."

James ignored her, instead reaching to grasp her hand in his and draw her to her feet. Lily stood up carefully, the book perched on her knee falling to the ground haphazardly.

Neither heard it fall. Their eyes met and their gazes locked upon each other. Lily felt a chill run up her spine as she took in James's hazel eyes staring into her own. He reached for her, his warm hands, encompassing her shoulders and drawing her closer as his gaze never left her eyes.

Lily felt like she was floating. Every argument, every thought flitted away, too insubstantial to hold on to while he was looking at her in the way he did.

She felt a million miles away as he drew ever closer to her face, his eyes finally breaking contact from hers, flickering down to her mouth. Lily felt the spell that his gaze had woven around them break and the tension in her shoulders relaxed as she felt her muscles come alive again.

Surprisingly, she felt no desire to pull away.

She let herself be drawn closer and closer; she could feel his warm breath on her neck as one of his hands slid down to rest on her lower back, the other meandering up her neck to lodge in her thick red hair. James twisted the strands around his fingers, his lips drawing ever nearer to their goal.

Lily felt a foggy haze overtaking her senses until all she was aware of was him; his fingers trailing over her sensitised skin, his breath as it rippled through her hair, shifting the strands, his lips ghosting against her own, his very presence in front of her, his body drawing closer to her own.

When his lips grazed her own, the first touch lighter than she could ever imagine, she felt a heat flare at her back and travel down her spine as her eyelids fluttered closed. He pulled away all too soon; she forced her eyes open and met his own, a charming blush suffusing her cheeks as he made a noise of disappointment at the sudden lack of contact.

A split second's moment passed between them; a jolt flew through Lily; she shivered involuntarily, stepping closer to James just as his arms tightened around her and his lips landed on hers, simply holding them there for a moment, just drinking in the taste and feel of each other.

So long had they denied themselves. James felt relief, a break in the tension of the past few months, a release of the repressed lust that had been making his life miserable and driving him crazy as he was around her every minute of the day and unable to do anything about it.

Lily felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders as she finally felt his lips pressed against her own; after a minute of simply standing there she grew impatient and started to move slightly against his lips.

James bit back the urge to smile as he drew back slightly, taking in her flush and dazed expression, feeling a flash of male pride that he was the one to put it there. He felt her impatience and saw her annoyed expression. _That's all redhead_. For the third time, his lips crashed against hers, every notion of gentleness and chasteness disregarded.

His tongue darted out and nudged her lips apart; at the first touch of his tongue to hers, something so intimate, she felt her stomach swoop as heat flared between them and her senses were crowded with the very essence of _him_.

She pressed herself closer and closer, feeling the hard planes of his chest as the hand lodged in her hair tilted her head, allowing his tongue to delve further into her mouth, seeking out her own.

Dizzy with sensation, Lily pulled away at last, resting her head on his shoulder as she sighed contentedly.

As she looked down, she caught sight of the forgotten copy of _Jane Eyre _that had hit the floor as she stood up, completely forgotten in her exhilaration at James, at having him so near to her, touching her and holding her and kissing her like he did, like she was the only one that mattered.

"You are," he muttered quietly, breaking the calm silence.

She blushed, not realising she'd voiced her thoughts out loud. "James," she said in response, not trusting herself to form a complete sentence or even try to articulate the massive overwhelming emotion that she felt at that moment.

As Lily stared into the fire, the words of Charlotte Brontё, forever immortalised in her stunning creations of literature, rang through her mind.

"_Or lifted up and borne of by some master-wave into a calmer current—as I am now." (1)_

Fin.

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_(1) _Jane Eyre_, by Charlotte Brontё._

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_Hope it was to your liking. Even if it wasn't, just drop me a line and let me know what you think. _

_Cheers, _

_Acelinn._


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